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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pound — a weight
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bore — to drill
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com